April 1957, Part 1 of my Second Kelabit trip.

I sailed from, my H.Q. in Marudi in the Jolly Bachelor to go to Lawas to pick up the plane to Baario, where I would await the Governor's arrival.

Sounding the depth as we go over the bar to the small coastal fishing village of Awat in Lawas District. My boy [assistant], Mat watching from above. Out to sea again and sailing along the coast. A sailing boat off the mouth of the Lawas River. Going up the Lawas River with Kuala Lawas fishing village at its mouth. Overtaking the Apoh, taking children to the Regatta. Government Office and the District Officer’s. house including his Hugo Low orchids at 5 p.m. At sunrise, view towards North Borneo and the path to the Police barracks.

The Borneo Evangelical Mission Auster with the missionary and family. Airview of Lawas and jungle. The Trusan River. Hill rice area then swamp padi land. In succession Murut and Kelabit longhouses and some Mission airstrips at Long Semadoh, Bah Kelalan, Pa Terap and Pa Lungan. These people often have swamp rice fields.

Baario from the air and after my arrival. Greeted by Sarawak Administrative Officer Dolhan, the Kelabit Upriver Agent Berauk and Kelabit Penghulu Lawai BEM (in khaki jacket and medals). School band of bamboo flutes and recorders and percussion conducted by headmaster David Lian.

[The] other teacher is Lejau Iboh. Note the number of left-handed players. Villagers crossing the small stream (that is the longhouse's water supply and bathing area and cooling off place for water buffaloes) as they go to the airstrip to greet the Governor. 

Due to the weather the plane flies low but cannot land. Disappointment as crowd returns home. Water buffaloes and other domestic livestock, fruit trees and Government office decorated for the visit. Football with an orange. Penghulu Lawai and family at midday. U.R.A. Berauk. More Lawai.

Office. 

A Bird Scarer (it moans on differing notes as it whirls around). 

The longhouse. Punda Pawang mountain in background.

About Ian Urquhart

Ian Urquhart was a decorated British soldier, posted to Sarawak, where he served from 1947 to 1965. A brilliant linguist with an abiding interest in learning about other people and their cultures, he was a natural fit to be a civil service officer.

In addition to his administrative duties, he studied the indigenous communities he encountered focusing on their varied languages. From 1951 to 1959, Ian published several articles published by the Sarawak Museum Journal.

It was during this period that he conducted many trips into the jungles of Sarawak, in particular the Kelabit highlands and the Ulu Baram. From 1957 his wife Bunty accompanied him and contributed to some of the filming. 

It was these trips that he documented on Silent Standard/Regular 8mm colour and b/w cinefilm leaving his family and the people of Sarawak with not only a detailed account of his life there, he annotated all 30 reels, 23 of which are available in this collection.